How To Install Z Shell (zsh) on Ubuntu 24.04 or Newer

Welcome back to the Greenhost.cloud blog! Today, we’re diving into the world of shell environments with a focus on Z Shell, commonly known as zsh. If you’re looking to enhance your command-line experience, zsh offers a plethora of features that make it a fantastic alternative to the default Bash shell. In this post, we’ll guide you through the process of installing zsh on Ubuntu 24.04 or newer, along with some tips to customize your new shell.

What is Z Shell (zsh)?

Z shell (zsh) is a powerful shell designed for interactive use, although it can also be used for scripting. It’s known for its user-friendly features, such as:

• Advanced auto-completion: zsh provides intelligent suggestions as you type, making navigation and command entry much smoother.
• Improved globbing: zsh has enhanced wildcard matching, allowing for more efficient file manipulation.
• Customizable prompts: Tailor your command prompt to display information that matters to you.
• Plugin support: With frameworks like Oh My Zsh, you can easily extend zsh’s functionality.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s jump into the installation process!

Step 1: Update Your Package List

Before installing any new software, it’s always a good idea to update your package list to ensure you have the latest information about available packages. Open your terminal and run:

sudo apt update

Step 2: Install zsh

Now that your package list is up to date, you can install zsh using the following command:

sudo apt install zsh

After the installation completes, you can verify that zsh is installed correctly by checking its version:

zsh --version

Step 3: Set zsh as Your Default Shell

To start using zsh as your default shell, you’ll need to change your login shell. You can do this by running:

chsh -s $(which zsh)

You may need to log out and log back in for the changes to take effect.

Step 4: Configure zsh

When you first launch zsh, it may prompt you to configure some basic settings. You can choose to go through the configuration wizard or skip it and customize zsh later. If you do go through the wizard, you’ll have options to set up features like command history, auto-completion, and more.

Step 5: Install Oh My Zsh (Optional, but Recommended)

If you want to maximize your zsh experience, consider installing Oh My Zsh, a popular framework that simplifies managing zsh configurations. To install Oh My Zsh, run the following command:

sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

This script will automatically back up your existing .zshrc file and create a new one with a set of default configurations.

Step 6: Customize Your zsh Environment

Once Oh My Zsh is installed, you can customize your shell environment. Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Change the theme: Oh My Zsh comes with a variety of themes. You can change the theme by editing the ~/.zshrc file. Look for the line ZSH_THEME="robbyrussell" and replace robbyrussell with the name of your preferred theme (e.g., agnoster, powerlevel10k).
• Enable plugins: Oh My Zsh has a rich ecosystem of plugins to make your workflow more efficient. Edit the ~/.zshrc file and find the line that starts with plugins=(...). You can add plugins like git, docker, and many others to enhance your command-line productivity.
• Edit your .zshrc file: This file is where you can set your environment variables, aliases, and other configurations. Use your favorite text editor to open the file: nano ~/.zshrc After making changes, remember to source the file to apply them: source ~/.zshrc

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully installed zsh on your Ubuntu 24.04 or newer system. With its advanced features and customization options, zsh can significantly enhance your command-line experience. We encourage you to explore plugins and themes to tailor zsh to your personal workflow.